Alexander Haig
Alexander Meigs Haig Jr.(/heɪɡ/;December 2, 1924 – February 20, 2010) wasUnited States Secretary of Stateunder presidentRonald ReaganandWhite House chief of staffunder presidentsRichard NixonandGerald Ford.[1]Prior to and in between these cabinet-level positions, he was a general in theU.S. Army,serving first as the vice chief of staff of the Army and then asSupreme Allied Commander Europe.In 1973, Haig became the youngest four-star general in the Army's history.
Haig was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He graduated from theU.S. Military Academyand served in theKorean War,during which he served as an aide to generalAlonzo Patrick Foxand generalEdward Almond.Afterward, he served as an aide to defense secretaryRobert McNamara.During theVietnam War,Haig commanded a battalion and later a brigade of the1st Infantry Division.For his service, Haig received theDistinguished Service Cross,theSilver Starwithoak leaf cluster,and thePurple Heart.[2]
In 1969, Haig became an assistant to national security advisorHenry Kissinger.He becamevice chief of staff of the Army,the Army's second-highest-ranking position, in 1972. After the 1973 resignation ofH. R. Haldeman,Haig became President Nixon's chief of staff. Serving in the wake of theWatergate scandal,he became especially influential in the final months of Nixon's tenure, playing a role in persuading Nixon to resign in 1974. Haig continued to serve as chief of staff for the first month of President Ford's tenure. From 1974 to 1979, Haig served asSupreme Allied Commander Europe,commanding allNATOforces in Europe. He retired from the army in 1979 and pursued a career in business.
After Reagan won the1980 U.S. presidential election,he nominated Haig to be his secretary of state. After theReagan assassination attempt,Haig said "I am in control here, in the White House", despite not being next in theline of succession.During theFalklands War,Haig sought to broker peace between the United Kingdom and Argentina. He resigned from Reagan's cabinet in July 1982. He unsuccessfully sought the presidential nomination in the1988 Republican primaries.He also served as the head of a consulting firm and hosted the television programWorld Business Review.[3]
Early life and education
[edit]Haig was born inBala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania,the middle of three children of Alexander Meigs Haig, a Republican lawyer of Scottish descent, and his wife, Regina Anne (née Murphy).[4]When Haig was 9, his father, aged 41, died of cancer. HisIrish Americanmother raised her children in theCatholicfaith.[5]Haig initially attendedSaint Joseph's Preparatory SchoolinPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, on a scholarship; when he was withdrawn due to poor academic performance, he transferred toLower Merion High SchoolinArdmore, Pennsylvania,where he graduated in 1942.
Initially unable to secure his desired appointment to theUnited States Military Academy,though one of his teachers opined that "Al is definitely not West Point material", Haig studied at theUniversity of Notre Dame,where he earned a "string of A's" in an "intellectual awakening"[6]for two years before securing acongressionalappointment to the U.S. Military Academy in 1944 at the behest of his uncle, who served as the Philadelphia municipal government's director of public works.[6]
Haig was enrolled in an accelerated wartime curriculum at West Point that deemphasized the humanities and social sciences, and he graduated in the bottom third of his class[7](ranked 214 of 310) in 1947.[8]Although a West Point superintendent characterized Haig as "the last man in his class anyone expected to become the first general",[9]other classmates acknowledged his "strong convictions and even stronger ambitions".[8]Haig later earned anMBAfrom theColumbia Business SchoolinNew York Cityin 1955. As a major, he attended theNaval War Collegein 1960 and then earned aM.A.ininternational relationsfromGeorgetown UniversityinWashington, D.C.in 1961. His thesis at Georgetown University examined the role of military officers in making national policy.
Early military career
[edit]Korean War
[edit]As a young officer, Haig served as an aide to Lieutenant GeneralAlonzo Patrick Fox,a deputy chief of staff to GeneralDouglas MacArthur.In 1950 Haig married Fox's daughter, Patricia.[7]In the early days of theKorean War,Haig was responsible for maintaining General MacArthur's situation map and briefing MacArthur each evening on the day's battlefield events.[10]Haig later served (1950–51) with theX Corps,as aide to MacArthur's chief of staff, GeneralEdward Almond,[2]who awarded Haig two Silver Stars and aBronze StarwithValor device.[11]Haig participated in fourKorean Warcampaigns, including theBattle of Inchon,theBattle of Chosin Reservoirand theevacuation of Hŭngnam,[10]as Almond's aide.
Pentagon assignments
[edit]Haig served as a staff officer in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at thePentagon(1962–64), and then was appointed military assistant to Secretary of the ArmyStephen Ailesin 1964. He then was appointed military assistant to Secretary of DefenseRobert McNamara,continuing in that service until the end of 1965.[7]In 1966, Haig graduated from theUnited States Army War College.
Vietnam War
[edit]
In 1966, Haig took command of abattalionof the1st Infantry Divisionduring theVietnam War.On May 22, 1967, GeneralWilliam Westmorelandrewarded Haig with theDistinguished Service Cross,theU.S. Army's second-highest medal for valor, in recognition of his actions during theBattle of Ap Guin March 1967.[12]During the battle, Haig, then a member of the1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment,became pinned down by aViet Congforce that outnumbered U.S. forces by three to one. In an attempt to survey the battlefield, Haig boarded a helicopter and flew to the point of contact. His helicopter was subsequently shot down, leading to two days of bloody hand-to-hand combat. An excerpt from Haig's Distinguished Service Cross citation states:
When two of his companies were engaged by a large hostile force, Colonel Haig landed amid a hail of fire, personally took charge of the units, called for artillery and air fire support and succeeded in soundly defeating the insurgent force... the next day a barrage of 400 rounds was fired by the Viet Cong, but it was ineffective because of the warning and preparations by Colonel Haig. As the barrage subsided, a force three times larger than his began a series of human wave assaults on the camp. Heedless of the danger himself, Colonel Haig repeatedly braved intense hostile fire to survey the battlefield. His personal courage and determination, and his skillful employment of every defense and support tactic possible, inspired his men to fight with previously unimagined power. Although his force was outnumbered three to one, Colonel Haig succeeded in inflicting 592 casualties on the Viet Cong... HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 2318 (May 22, 1967)[13]
Haig was also awarded theDistinguished Flying Crossand thePurple Heartduring his tour in Vietnam[12]and was eventually promoted to colonel as commander of 2nd Brigade,1st Infantry Divisionin Vietnam.
Return to West Point
[edit]Following his one-year tour ofVietnamduring theVietnam War,Haig returned to the United States to become regimental commander of the Third Regiment of theCorps of Cadetsat West Point under the newly appointed commandant, Brigadier GeneralBernard W. Rogers.Both had previously served together in the 1st Infantry Division, Rogers as assistant division commander and Haig as brigade commander.
Security adviser and vice chief of staff (1969–1973)
[edit]In 1969, he was appointed military assistant to the assistant to the president for national security affairs,Henry Kissinger.A year later, he replacedRichard V. Allenasdeputy assistant to the president for national security affairs.During this period, he was promoted to brigadier general (September 1969) and major general (March 1972).
In the spring of 1972, theNorth Vietnamese armed forces(PAVN) launched a multi-prong attack, known as theEaster Offensive,on every region of South Vietnam. For the first time, the PAVN deployed heavy weaponry such as mobile surface-to-air missile batteries, tanks, and armored vehicles. In the early weeks of the offensive, the PAVN won startling advances, and captured crucial bases, roads, and cities. Nixon and Kissinger——while delicately picking their way through the diplomatic thickets ofdétentewithMoscowandopen relationswithPeking (Beijing)——decided to respond to North Vietnam’s sweeping assault by mining itsprincipal harbor,and massively bombing targets in every quarter of North Vietnam.[14]Nixon, in his reflexive suspicion,[15]and Kissinger, in his boundless ambition,[16]opted to bypass the Departments ofStateandDefense,as well as theJoint Chiefs of Staff(JCS), in any advisory or decision-making capacity relating to what would become known asOperation Linebacker.[17]
Haig effectively substituted for the JCS during this time. He developed the core strategy coordinating the mining with the bombing of transportation targets. He was dispatched, to the Pentagon as well as Saigon, to critique field commanders and military procedure, and provide an independent information channel to the White House. He was a member of a national securitytriumvirate,along with Nixon and Kissinger, that both scapegoated and ignored themilitary command running the daily operations in Vietnam.[18]
In this position, Haig helpedSouth VietnamesepresidentNguyen Van Thieunegotiate the finalcease-fire talksin 1972. Haig continued in the role until January 4, 1973,[19]when he becamevice chief of staff of the Army.Nixon planned to appoint Haig as chief of staff overCreighton Abrams,whom he personally disliked, butsecretary of defenseMelvin Lairdresisted as Haig lacked the relevant upper-level command experience.[20]He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in October 1972, thus skipping the rank of lieutenant general. By appointing him to this billet, Nixon "passed over 240 generals" who were senior to Haig.[21]
White House Chief of Staff (1973–1974)
[edit]Nixon administration
[edit]
In May 1973, after only four months as VCSA, Haig returned to theNixon administrationat the height of theWatergate affairasWhite House Chief of Staff.During theSaturday Night Massacre,Haig attempted to make acting-Attorney GeneralWilliam Ruckelshausto fire special prosecutorArchibald Cox.Haig's coercion failed, and Ruckelshaus resigned.[22]Retaining his Army commission, he remained in the position until September 21, 1974, ultimately overseeing the transition to thepresidency of Gerald FordfollowingNixon's resignationon August 9, 1974.
Haig has been largely credited with keeping the government running while President Nixon was preoccupied with Watergate[1]and was essentially seen as the "acting president" during Nixon's last few months in office.[7]During July and early August 1974, Haig played an instrumental role in persuading Nixon to resign. Haig presented several pardon options to Ford a few days before Nixon resigned. In this regard, in his 1999 bookShadow,authorBob Woodwarddescribes Haig's role as the point man between Nixon and Ford during the final days of Nixon's presidency. According to Woodward, Haig played a major behind-the-scenes role in the delicate negotiations of the transfer of power from Nixon to Ford.[23]Indeed, about one month after taking office, Ford did pardon Nixon, resulting in much controversy.
However, Haig denied the allegation that he played a key role in arbitrating Nixon's resignation by offering Ford's pardon to Nixon. One of the most crucial moments occurred a day before Haig's departure to Europe to begin his tenure as NATO Supreme Allied Commander. Haig was telephoned byJ. Fred Buzhardt,who once served as special White House counsel for Watergate matters.[24][25]In the call, Buzhardt discussed with Haig President Ford's upcoming speech to the nation about pardoning Nixon, informing Haig that the speech contained something indicating Haig's role in Nixon's resignation and Ford's pardon of Nixon. According to Haig's autobiography (Inner Circles: How America Changed the World), Haig was furious and immediately drove straight to the White House to determine the veracity of Buzhardt's claims. This was due to his concern that Ford's speech would expose Haig's role in negotiating Nixon's resignation supposedly in exchange for a pardon issued by the new president.[24][25]
On August 7, 1974, two days before Nixon's resignation, Haig met with Nixon in the Oval Office to discuss the transition. Following their conversation, Nixon told Haig "You fellows, in your business, have a way of handling problems like this. Give them a pistol and leave the room. I don't have a pistol, Al."[26]
Ford administration
[edit]
Following Nixon's resignation, Haig remained briefly as White House Chief of Staff under Ford. Haig aided in the transition by advising the new president mostly on policy matters on which he had been working under the Nixon presidency and introducing Ford to the White House staff and their daily activities. Haig recommended that Ford retain several of Nixon's White House staff for 30 days to provide an orderly transition. Haig and Kissinger also advised Ford on Nixon's détente policy with the Soviet Union following the SALT I treaty in 1972.
Haig found it difficult to get along with the new administration and wanted to return to the Army for his last command. It had also been rumored that Ford wanted to be his own chief of staff. At first Ford decided to replace Haig withRobert T. Hartmann,Ford's chief of staff during his tenure as vice president.[25][24][27]Ford soon replaced Hartmann with United States Permanent Ambassador to NATODonald Rumsfeld.Author and Haig biographerRoger Morris,a former colleague of Haig's on theNational Security Councilearly in Nixon's first term, wrote that when Ford pardoned Nixon, he in effect pardoned Haig as well.[28]
Haig resigned from his position as White House Chief of Staff and returned to active duty in the United States Army in September 1974.[24]
NATO Supreme Allied Commander (1974–1979)
[edit]
In December 1974, Haig was appointed as the nextSupreme Allied Commander Europeby President Ford, replacing GeneralAndrew Goodpasterand returning to active duty in the United States Army. Haig also became the front-runner to be the 27thU.S. Army Chief of Staff,following the death of GeneralCreighton Abramsfrom complications of surgery to remove lung cancer on September 4, 1974. However it was GeneralFrederick C. Weyandwho ultimately filled Abrams's position as Chief of Staff.[24]From 1974 to 1979 Haig served as theSupreme Allied Commander Europe,the commander of NATO forces in Europe, as well ascommander-in-chiefofUnited States European Command.During his tenure as SACEUR, Haig focused on transforming SACEUR in order to face the future global challenge following the end of theVietnam Warand the rise of Soviet influence within Eastern Europe.
Haig focused on strengthening the relationship between the United States and NATO member nations and their allies. As a result, several fleets of United States Air Force aircraft, such as theF-111 Aardvarkfrom theStrategic Air Command,were relocated to US Air Force bases located in Europe.[24]Haig also stressed the importance of increasing the training of US troops deployed in Europe following his tour of theSixth Fleetin theMediterranean Sea,on which Haig saw poorly-disciplined and ill-trained troops. As a result, Haig conducted routine inspections during NATO troops' training and often went to the training site and participated in the training itself. Haig also recommended the revitalization of equipment in the US installations in Europe and US troops deployed in Europe, in order to strengthen deterrence from possible attack.[24]
Haig took the same route toSHAPEevery day—a pattern of behavior that did not go unnoticed by terrorist organizations. On June 25, 1979, Haig was the target of an assassination attempt inMons, Belgium.Aland mineblew up under the bridge on which Haig's car was traveling, narrowly missing his car and wounding three of his bodyguards in a following car.[29][30]Authorities later attributed responsibility for the attack to theRed Army Faction(RAF). In 1993 a German court sentencedRolf Clemens Wagner,a former RAF member, to life imprisonment for the assassination attempt.[29]During Haig's last month as Supreme Allied Commander Europe, he oversaw the talks and negotiation between the United States and NATO member nations of a new policy following the signing ofSALT II treatyon June 18, 1979, by PresidentJimmy Carterand Soviet PresidentLeonid Brezhnev.However Haig also drew concern regarding the treaty, which he believed benefited the Soviet position by giving them a way to build up their military arsenal.[24]
Haig retired from his position as Supreme Allied Commander Europe in July 1979 and was succeeded by GeneralBernard W. Rogers,who previously served asArmy Chief of Staff.[24]Haig's retirement ceremony took place atNATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europeon July 1, 1979, and was attended bySecretary of DefenseHarold Brown,NATO Secretary GeneralJoseph Lunsand U.S. Ambassador to NATOWilliam Tapley Bennett Jr.[24]
Civilian positions
[edit]In 1979, Haig joined thePhiladelphia-basedForeign Policy Research Instituteas director of its Western Security Program, and he later served on the organization's board of trustees.[31]Later that year, he was named president and director ofUnited TechnologiesCorporation under chief executive officerHarry J. Gray,where he remained until 1981.
Secretary of State (1981–1982)
[edit]
Haig was the second of three career military officers to become secretary of state (George C. MarshallandColin Powellwere the others). His speeches in this role in particular led to the coining of the neologism "Haigspeak," described ina dictionary of neologismsas "Language characterized by pompous obscurity resulting from redundancy, the semantically strained use of words, and verbosity,"[32]leading AmbassadorNicko Hendersonto offer a prize for the best rendering of theGettysburg Addressin Haigspeak.[33]
Initial challenges
[edit]On December 11, 1980, president-elect Reagan was prepared to publicly announce nearly all of his candidates for the most important cabinet-level posts. Singularly absent from the list of top nominees was his choice for Secretary of State, presumed by many at the time to be Alexander Haig. Haig's prospects forSenate confirmationwere clouded when Senate Democrats questioned his role in the Watergate scandal. In Haig's defense, North CarolinaSenator Jesse Helmsclaimed to have phoned former president Nixon personally to inquire whether any material onNixon's unreleased White House tapescould embarrass Haig. According to Helms, Nixon replied, "Not a thing."[34]Haig was eventually confirmed after hearings he described as an "ordeal," during which he received no encouragement from Reagan or his staff.[35]
Several days earlier, on December 2, 1980, as Haig faced these initial challenges to the next step in his political career, four U.S. Catholic missionary women inEl Salvador,two of whom wereMaryknoll sisters,were beaten, raped and murderedby fiveSalvadoran national guardsmenordered to follow them. Their bodies were exhumed from aremoteshallow grave two days later in the presence of then-U.S. ambassador to El SalvadorRobert E. White.Despite this diplomatically awkward atrocity, theCarter administrationsoon approved $5.9 million in lethal military assistance to El Salvador's oppressive right-wing government.[36]The incoming Reagan administration expanded that aid to $25 million less than six weeks later.[37]
In justifying the arms shipments, the new administration claimed that the Salvadoran government ofJosé Napoleón Duartehad taken "positive steps" to investigate the murder of four American nuns, but this was disputed by U.S. Ambassador Robert E. White, who said that he could find no evidence the junta was "conducting a serious investigation." White was dismissed from the Foreign Service by Haig because of his complaints. White later asserted that the Reagan administration was determined to ignore and even conceal the complicity of the Salvadoran government and army in the murders.[38]
Throughout the1980 U.S. presidential campaign,Reagan and his foreign policy advisers faulted theCarter administration's perceived over-emphasison the human rights abuses committed by authoritarian governments allied to the U.S., labeling it a"double standard"when compared with Carter's treatment ofcommunist-blocgovernments. Haig, who described himself as the "vicar"of U.S. foreign policy,[39]believed the human rights violations of a U.S. ally such as El Salvador should be given less attention than the ally's successes against enemies of the U.S., and thus found himself diminishing the murders of the nuns before theHouse Foreign Affairs Committeein March 1981:
I'd like to suggest to you that some of the investigations would lead one to believe that perhaps the vehicle the nuns were riding in may have tried to run through a roadblock, or may have accidentally been perceived to have been doing so, and there may have been an exchange of fire, and then perhaps those who inflicted the casualties sought to cover it up.
— Alexander Haig,Alexander Haig,House Foreign Affairs committee testimony, quoted by UPI, March 19, 1981[40]
The outcry that immediately followed Haig's insinuation prompted him to emphatically withdraw his speculative suggestions the very next day before theSenate Foreign Relations Committee.[41]Similar public relations miscalculations, by Haig and others, continued to plague the Reagan administration's attempts to build popular support at home for itsCentral American policies.
Reagan assassination attempt
[edit]
In 1981, following the March 30assassination attempt on Reagan,Haig asserted before reporters, "I am in control here"[42]as a result of Reagan's hospitalization, indicating that, while Reagan had not "transfer[red] the helm," Haig was in fact directing White House crisis management until Vice PresidentGeorge Busharrived in Washington to assume that role.
Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have the president, the vice president, and the secretary of state in that order, and should the president decide he wants to transfer the helm to the vice president, he will do so. He has not done that. As of now, I am in control here, in the White House, pending return of the vice president and in close touch with him. If something came up, I would check with him, of course.
TheU.S. Constitution,including both thepresidential line of successionand the25th Amendment,dictates what happens when a president is incapacitated. TheSpeaker of the House(at the time,Tip O'Neill,Democrat) and thepresident pro tempore of the Senate(at the time,Strom Thurmond,Republican), precede the secretary of state in the line of succession. Haig later clarified,
I wasn't talking about transition. I was talking about the executive branch, who is running the government. That was the question asked. It was not, "Who is in line should the president die?"
— Alexander Haig,"Alexander Haig"interview with60 Minutes IIApril 23, 2001
His reputation never recovered after this episode.[44]
Falklands War
[edit]
In April 1982, Haig conductedshuttle diplomacybetween the governments ofArgentinain Buenos Aires and the United Kingdom in London afterArgentina invaded the Falkland Islands.Negotiations collapsed and Haig returned to Washington on April 19. TheBritish naval fleetthen entered the war zone. In December 2012 documents released under the United Kingdom's30 Year Ruledisclosed that Haig planned to reveal British classified military information to Argentina in advance of the recapture ofSouth Georgia Island.The information, which contained the plans forOperation Paraquet,was intended to show theArgentine military juntain Buenos Aires that the United States was a neutral player and could be trusted to act impartially during negotiations to end the conflict.[45]However, in 2012 it was revealed via documents released from theReagan Presidential Librarythat Haig attempted to persuade Reagan to side with Argentina in the war.[46]
1982 Lebanon War
[edit]Haig's report to Reagan on January 30, 1982, shows that Haig feared the Israelis might start a war against Lebanon.[47]Critics accused Haig of "greenlighting" theIsraeli invasion of Lebanonin June 1982. Haig denied this and said he urged restraint.[48]
Resignation
[edit]Haig caused some alarm with his suggestion that a "nuclear warning shot" in Europe might be effective in deterring theSoviet Union.[49]His tenure as secretary of state was often characterized by his clashes with the defense secretary,Caspar Weinberger.Haig, who repeatedly had difficulty with various members of the Reagan administration during his year-and-a-half in office, decided to resign his post on June 25, 1982.[50]President Reagan accepted his resignation on July 5.[51]Haig was succeeded byGeorge P. Shultz,who was confirmed on July 16.[52]
1988 Republican presidential primaries
[edit]Haig ran unsuccessfully for the1988 Republican Party presidential nomination.Although he enjoyed relatively high name recognition, Haig never broke out of single digits in national public opinion polls. He was a fierce critic of then–Vice PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush,often doubting Bush's leadership abilities, questioning his role in theIran–Contra affair,and using the word "wimp" in relation to Bush in an October 1987 debate inTexas.[53]Despite extensive personal campaigning and paid advertising inNew Hampshire,Haig remained stuck in last place in the polls. After finishing with less than 1 percent of the vote in theIowa caucusesand trailing badly in theNew Hampshire primarypolls, Haig withdrew his candidacy and endorsed SenatorBob Dole.[54][55]Dole, steadily gaining on Bush after beating him handily a week earlier in theIowa caucus,ended up losing to Bush in the New Hampshire primary by 10 percentage points. With his momentum regained, Bush easily won the nomination.
Later life, health, and death
[edit]
In 1980 Haig had a doubleheart bypass operation.[56]
After leaving the Reagan White House, Haig took a seat on theMGMboard of directors in an effort to cultivate a film career.[57]He supervised the development ofJohn Milius'Red Dawn(1984) and made significant changes to it.[58]While heading a consulting firm in the 1980s and 1990s, he served as a director for various struggling businesses, including computer manufacturerCommodore International.[59]He also served as a founding corporate director ofAmerica Online.[60]
Haig was the host for several years of the television programWorld Business Review.At the time of his death, he was the host of21st Century Business,with each program a weekly business education forum that included business solutions, expert interview, commentary, and field reports.[61]Haig was co-chairman of the American Committee for Peace in the Caucasus, along withZbigniew BrzezinskiandStephen J. Solarz.He was also member of theWashington Institute for Near East Policy(WINEP) board of advisers.[62]
On January 5, 2006, Haig participated in a meeting at theWhite Houseof former secretaries of defense and state to discuss U.S. foreign policy with Bush administration officials.[63]On May 12, 2006, Haig participated in a second White House meeting with 10 former secretaries of state and defense. The meeting included briefings byDonald RumsfeldandCondoleezza Riceand was followed by a discussion with PresidentGeorge W. Bush.[64]Haig's memoirs—Inner Circles: How America Changed The World—were published in 1992.
On February 19, 2010, a hospital spokesman revealed that the 85-year-old Haig had been hospitalized atJohns Hopkins HospitalinBaltimoresince January 28 and remained in critical condition.[65]On February 20, Haig died at the age of 85, fromcomplicationsfrom astaphylococcal infectionthat he had prior to admission. According toThe New York Times,his brother, Frank Haig, said the Army was coordinating a mass atFort Myerin Washington, D.C., and an interment atArlington National Cemetery,but both had to be delayed by about two weeks owing to thewars in AfghanistanandIraq.[7]A Mass of Christian Burial was held at theBasilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conceptionin Washington, D.C., on March 2, 2010. Eulogies were given byHenry Kissingerand Sherwood D. Goldberg.[66]
PresidentBarack Obamasaid in a statement that "General Haig exemplified our finest warrior–diplomat tradition of those who dedicate their lives to public service."[7]Secretary of StateHillary Clintondescribed Haig as a man who "served his country in many capacities for many years, earning honor on the battlefield, the confidence of presidents and prime ministers, and the thanks of a grateful nation."[67]
Family
[edit]Alexander Haig was married to Patricia (née Fox), with whom he had three children: Alexander Patrick Haig, Barbara Haig, andBrian Haig.[7]Haig's younger brother,Frank Haig,was aJesuitpriest andprofessor emeritusofphysicsatLoyola Universityin Baltimore, Maryland.[68]
Publications
[edit]Articles
- "Introduction".World Affairs,Vol. 144, No. 4,Statements by Ambassador Max Kampelman before the Madrid Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe,Spring 1982.JSTOR20671913(pp. 299–301)
- "Stalemate: The Public Reaction to Poland".World Affairs,Vol. 144, No. 4,Statements by Ambassador Max Kampelman before the Madrid Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe,Spring 1982.JSTOR20671920(pp. 467–511)
- "U.S. Foreign Policy: A Discussion with Former Secretaries of State Dean Rusk, William P. Rogers, Cyrus R. Vance, and Alexander M. Haig, Jr.".International Studies Notes,Vol. 11, No. 1,Special Edition: The Secretaries of State,Fall 1984.JSTOR44234902(pp. 10–20)
- "Reply".Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs,Vol. 27, No. 2, Summer 1985.doi:10.2307/165716JSTOR165716(pp. 23–24)
- "The Challenges to American Leadership".Harvard International Review,Vol. 11, No. 3,Tenth Anniversary Issue – American Foreign Policy: Toward the 1990s,1989.JSTOR43648931(pp. 24–29)
- "Nation Building: A Flawed Approach".The Brown Journal of World Affairs,Vol. 2, No. 1, Winter 1994.JSTOR24595446(pp. 7–10)
Books
- Caveat: Realism, Reagan and Foreign Affairs.New York, NY:Macmillan Publishing Company,1984.ISBN978-0025473706.367 pages.
- Inner Circles: How America Changed the World: A Memoir.New York, NY:Warner Books,1992.ISBN978-0446515719LCCN91-50409.650 pages.
Contributed works
- "Foreword".Soviet Leaders from Lenin to Gorbachevby Thomas Streissguth. Minneapolis, MN: Oliver Press, 1992.ISBN978-1881508021LCCN92-19903(pp. 7–8)
Awards and decorations
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Other honors
[edit]In 1976, Haig received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement.[70]In 2009, Haig was recognized for their generous gift in support of academic programs at West Point by being inducted into the Eisenhower Society for Lifetime Giving.[71]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abAlexander Haig.Archived fromthe originalon March 10, 2008.
{{cite encyclopedia}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ab"Premier Speakers Bureau".Archived fromthe originalon January 14, 2010.
- ^"World Business Review (TV Series 1996–2006)",IMDb,retrievedOctober 20,2020
- ^Hohmann, James (February 21, 2010)."Alexander Haig, 85; soldier-statesman managed Nixon resignation".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on June 4, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 21,2010.
- ^"Haig's Future Uncertain After a Shaky Start".Anchorage Daily News.April 11, 1981.RetrievedDecember 22,2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^abBellow, Adam (July 13, 2004).In Praise of Nepotism.Knopf Doubleday Publishing.ISBN9781400079025.
- ^abcdefgWeiner, Tim(February 20, 2010)."Alexander M. Haig Jr., 85, Forceful Aide to 2 Presidents, Dies".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on February 23, 2010.RetrievedFebruary 20,2010.
- ^abJackson, Harold (February 20, 2010)."Alexander Haig obituary".The Guardian.
- ^"Al Haig, the long goodbye".February 22, 2010.
- ^abAlexander M. Haig Jr."Lessons of the forgotten war".
- ^"UT Biography".Archived fromthe originalon May 11, 2013.
- ^ab"West Point Citation".Archived fromthe originalon May 16, 2006.[verification needed]
- ^"Full Text Citations For Award of The Distinguished Service Cross, US Army Recipients – Vietnam".
- ^Randolph, Stephen (2007).Powerful and Brutal Weapons: Nixon, Kissinger, and the Easter Offensive.Cambridge: Harvard University Press.ISBN9780674024915.
- ^Summers, Anthony (2000).The Arrogance of Power: The Secret World of Richard Nixon.New York: Viking.
- ^Hersh, Seymour (1983).The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House.New York: Summit.
- ^Randolph 2007,p. 164.
- ^Randolph 2007,p. 87-88.
- ^"Personnel - White House Appointment of Military Personnel to Staff"(PDF).Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum.p. 11.
- ^Colodny, Len; Shachtman, Tom (2009).Forty Years War.TrineDay.ISBN9781634240574.
- ^"4-Star Diplomat in White House Alexander Meigs Haig Jr".The New York Times.May 5, 1973.
- ^Frank, Jeffrey (May 9, 2017)."Comey's Firing Is—and Isn't—Like Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre".The New Yorker.ISSN0028-792X.RetrievedJuly 19,2024.
- ^The Final Days,by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, 1976, New York, Simon & Schuster;Shadow,by Bob Woodward, 1999, New York, Simon Schuster, pp. 4–38.
- ^abcdefghijHaig, Alexander M. (September 1, 1992).Inner Circles: How America Changed the World: A Memoir.Grand Central Publisher.ISBN978-0446515719.
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{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^Rumsfeld, Donald (2011).Known and unknown: a memoir.New York: Sentinel.ISBN978-1-59523-067-6.OCLC650210649.
- ^Haig: The General's Progress,byRoger Morris (American writer),PlayboyPress, 1982, pp. 320–25.
- ^ab"German Guilty in '79 Attack At NATO on Alexander Haig".The New York Times.November 25, 1993.
- ^Aust, Stefan(2020).Der Baader-Meinhof-Komplex(in German). Piper. p. 959.ISBN978-3-492-23628-7.
- ^Maykuth, Andrew (February 21, 2010)."Philadelphia dominated Haig's formative years".Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^Fifty years among the new words: a dictionary of neologisms, 1941–1991, John Algeo, p.231
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Further reading
[edit]- Colodny, Len and Robert Gettlin.Silent Coup: The Removal of a President.New York City:St. Martin's Press,1991.
- Haig, Alexander.Caveat: Realism, Reagan and Foreign Affairs.New York City:Macmillan Publishing Company,1984.
- Haig, Alexander and Charles McCarry.Inner Circles: How America Changed the World.Grand Central Publishing,2 January 1994.
- Hersh, Seymour.The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House.New York City:Summit Books,1983.ISBN0-671-50688-9
- Morris, Robert.Haig: The General's Progress.ISBN0872237532LCCN81-82835.490 pages.
External links
[edit]
- The Day Reagan was Shotarticle on Haig
- The Falklands: Failure of a Missioncritique of Haig's mediation efforts
- Portrait of Alexander HaigbyMargaret Holland Sargent
- AppearancesonC-SPAN
- Alexander HaigatIMDb
- ANC Explorer
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